I have long been a John Grisham fan. My personal favorite is his first book, A Time to Kill, later adapted into a successful film. Some of Grisham’s books are heavily influenced by Christianity. The Testament and The Last Juror come to mind. The Chamber is John Grisham’s best-selling book – ever. And for good reason. From beginning to end, it is an engrossing read. The reader flies through the 600+ pages, as Grisham paints a picture of a family wrecked by the sinful racism of the father.
The Chamber tells about a fictional character named Sam Cayhall, condemned to the gas chamber because of a crime he committed in the late 1960’s against a Jewish lawyer. Cayhall was an accomplice in setting a bomb that destroyed the lawyer’s office and unintentionally killed the lawyer’s two twin boys. With just a month before his execution date, Cayhall’s grandson, a fresh, young lawyer named Adam Hall, arrives on the scene to save the day.
The Chamber forces the reader to wrestle with the idea of the death penalty. Thankfully, Grisham does not make Cayhall out to be a victim. The crimes are described in horrific detail, and we later discover that Cayhall was guilty of even more egregious sins than the one for which the government wants to execute him.
As the characters remember past events, the picture of sin and its consequences becomes more and more disturbing. Cayhall’s son commits suicide. The Jewish lawyer whose sons were killed in the bombing is paralyzed and later kills himself. Cayhall’s daughter becomes an alcoholic and spends significant time in rehab. While the father shows no remorse for his actions, the children suffer under unbearable guilt and shame. I have never read a book that so clearly demonstrates how God visits the iniquity of the fathers to the next generations.
But there is redemption here, too. As the book progresses, Cayhall’s defenses begin to fall. He becomes repentant. He looks forward to his visits with a young minister. He affirms the Apostle’s Creed and places his faith in God. By the end, he is ready to face death and to meet his Maker.
I heartily recommend The Chamber for its picture of sin and the destructive force it leaves in its wake, but also for the redemption that can come to even the most hardened criminal.
If you skip the book and decide to rent the movie, be aware. The movie isn’t half as good as the book. (I know everyone always says this, but trust me on this one.) The redemption scenes are absent from the movie, as well as the minister’s role. The consequences of sin are minimized. The directors added action to the movie that is not found in the book, and this makes the movie much less compelling.
written by Trevin Wax. © 2007 Kingdom People Blog
